Clamp

ABSTRACT

A plant stand designed to be mounted on a railing of a structure, such as a deck, is provided. The plant stand includes a generally vertical frame having a proximal end connected to a base plate. A clamp connected to the base plate is designed to selectively clamp a railing of the structure between a body of the clamp and the base plate. A plurality of plant supports are coupled with the frame for supporting plants thereon. In first and second embodiments of the plant stand, the plant supports are spaced apart from and coupled with the frame via support arms. In the second embodiment, the support arms are adjustable by way of a plurality of brackets secured to legs of the frame.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority from U.S. applicationSer. No. 29/126,615, entitled “Plant Stand”, filed Jul. 18, 2000, nowU.S. Pat. No. D446,403, from U.S. application Ser. No. 29/126,614,entitled “Plant Stand”, filed Jul. 18, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. D446,402,and from U.S. application Ser. No. 09/832,052, entitled “Deck MountablePlant Stand”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,806.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to a stand for holding plants. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to a plant stand designed to bemounted to a horizontal railing of a structure, such as a deck to permita user to support plants thereon in an aesthetically pleasingarrangement and to provide a natural privacy wall.

[0004] Numerous types of devices exist for supporting and displayingpotted plants. Most of the plant stands of the prior art, however, aredesigned only to serve the function of providing an aestheticallypleasing arrangement of the plant supports.

[0005] In today's increasingly populated society, more and more peopleare living in close proximity to one another while the desire forprivacy increases. For example, large numbers of people live inapartment buildings with decks directly adjacent one another. Foraesthetic reasons, many people place potted plants directly on therailings of the deck. However, there is a need for a way to arrangeplants on a deck in a vertical orientation such that the foliage of theplants provide a natural privacy screen between the user and theirneighbors.

[0006] Other problems of the plant stands of the prior art include theabsence of a method of securing the containers of the plants to theplant stand such that they are not accidentally knocked off the decks bya person or the weather.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for a plant stand which can besecurely attached to a railing of a deck and securely support plants ina vertical arrangement there above. The present invention fills theseand other needs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In order to overcome the above-stated problems and limitations,and to achieve the noted objects, there is provided a deck mountableplant stand with various ways to secure the container of the plant tothe plant stand.

[0009] In general, the plant stand includes a generally vertical framehaving a proximal end which is coupled to a base plate. A clamp iscoupled with the base plate and designed to clamp a portion of a railingof a deck between the base plate and the clamp. A plurality of plantsupports are coupled with the frame in various locations.

[0010] In first and second embodiments of the plant stand, the plantsupports are coupled with the frame via support arms. The support armsspace the plant supports away from legs of the frame. In the secondembodiment, the support arms are removably coupled with brackets on theframe such that the user may selectively position and arrange thelocation of the plant supports on the plant stand.

[0011] A first method of securing the containers of plants to the plantstand includes a generally vertical prong generally centrally located onan upper surface of a plate of the plant support and extending upwardlytherefrom. The prong is sized to be received in an aperture in the baseof the container. The prong in turn sticks up into the soil in the plantand prevents the container from sliding off the plant support.

[0012] A second method of securing the container of a plant to the plantstand includes a plurality of L-shaped brackets partially and slidablyreceived in horizontal openings in the plant support. The L-shapedbrackets can be moved toward and away from each other to clampcontainers of varying sizes. Once in the desired clamping orientation,the L-shaped brackets can be mechanically secured in placed via thumbscrews.

[0013] In a third embodiment of a plant stand of the present invention,the plant supports are positioned directly on the frame to provide anaesthetically pleasing arrangement.

[0014] Further objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention over the prior art will become apparent from the detaileddescription of the drawings which follows, when considered with theattached figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0015] The objects and features of the invention noted above areexplained in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which likereference numerals denote like elements, and in which:

[0016]FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a first embodiment of a plantstand of the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a plant support of the plantstand taken generally along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

[0018]FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a base plate andclamp of the plant stand of FIG. 1;

[0019]FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of an alternateembodiment of a plant support for a plant stand of the presentinvention;

[0020]FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the alternate embodiment ofthe plant support of FIG. 4 with a portion thereof cut-away for clarity;

[0021]FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of a second embodiment of aplant stand of the present invention;

[0022]FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a base plate andclamp of the plant stand of FIG. 6;

[0023]FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top plan view taken generally along theline 8-8 in FIG. 6 and illustrating the removable connection between asupport arm and a bracket;

[0024]FIG. 9 is a rear elevational view of a third embodiment of a plantstand of the present invention;

[0025]FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of a third embodiment of aclamp for securing the base of a plant stand of the present invention toa railing;

[0026]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the clamp of FIG. 10 clampinga thin railing; and

[0027]FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the clamp of FIG. 10 clampinga thick railing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Referring now to the drawing in detail, and initially to FIG. 1,numeral 10 generally designates a deck mountable plant stand of thepresent invention. The stand 10 has a frame 12, a base plate 14connected thereto, a clamp 16 connected to the base plate 14, and aplant support 18 coupled with the frame for supporting a plant 20thereon. In a first embodiment of the present invention, as illustratedin FIG. 1, the stand 10 also includes a support arm 22.

[0029] The frame 12 is preferably an inverted U-shaped member having afirst leg 24 and a second leg 26. The frame 12 has a generally verticallongitudinal axis, which is generally parallel to the legs 24, 26, and aproximal end 28 and a distal end 30.

[0030] The frame 12 is preferably constructed of solid bar stock havinga square cross-section. It is, of course, within the scope of thepresent invention to fabricate the frame 12 out of wood or anothersuitable rigid material, or to have a non-square cross-section (such ascircular, triangular, etc.) or to use hollow tubing stock. The bar stockfor the frame 12 is preferably bent to the desired shape in accordancewith known procedures whereby the distal end 30 is at an apex of theframe 12 and the proximal end 28 of the frame 12 is at the lower ends ofthe legs 24, 26 and is connected to the base plate 14.

[0031] The base plate 14 is preferably also constructed of metal and ispreferably a generally flat metal plate. The base plate 14 has an uppersurface 32 and a lower surface 34. The proximal end 28 of the frame 12is connected to the upper surface 32 of the base plate 14, preferably bywelding. The lower surface 34 of the base plate 14 is designed to abutand rest on an upper surface 36 of a horizontal railing 38 of a deckwhen in use.

[0032] A first embodiment of the clamp 16, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and3, preferably includes a rod 42 and a carriage 44. The rod is preferablythreaded and has a proximal end 46 and a distal end 48. The proximal end46, in the first embodiment, is preferably connected to the lowersurface 34 of the base plate 14 adjacent a rear edge 50. A rear portion52 of the base plate 14 overhangs the railing 38 such that the rod 42depends downwardly from the lower surface 34.

[0033] The carriage 44 includes a body 54 and a sleeve 56. The body 54is preferably an L-shaped member having a horizontal portion 58 and avertical portion 60. The body 54 may be fabricated from two separatepieces or, alternatively, may simply be a short piece of angle iron. Thehorizontal portion 58 has an upper surface 62 which is designed to abuta lower surface 64 of the railing 38. The vertical portion 60 of thebody 54 has an inner surface 66, designed to abut a side 68 of therailing 38, and an outer surface 70. The sleeve 56 is connected to theouter surface 70 of the vertical portion 60 of the body 54 and includesa longitudinal bore 72 therethrough. The rod 42 is received in the bore72 of the sleeve 56 and the carriage 44 is slidable thereon toward andaway from the base plate 14. A nut 74 is threadably received on the rod42, whereby tightening of the nut 74 moves the carriage 44 toward thebase plate 14 and thereby clamps the railing 38 between the base plate14 and the horizontal portion 58 of the body 54 of the carriage 44.

[0034] A first embodiment of the plant support 18 is illustrated inFIGS. 1, 2, 6 and 9. The plant support 18 is preferably a flat metalplate and, for aesthetic and safety reasons, is preferably circular innature. The plate 76 has an upper surface 78 and a lower surface 80. Inorder to make sure that a plant 20 positioned on the plant support 18stays thereon until a user desires the plant to be removed, the firstembodiment of the plant support 18 also includes a generally verticalprong 82 extending upwardly from the upper surface 78 of the plate 76.The prong 82 is designed to be received in an aperture 84 in a base 86of a container 88 of the plant 20.

[0035] In the first and a second embodiment of the plant stand 10disclosed herein, and as illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, the plant supports 18are coupled with the frame 12 by support arms 22. The support arm 22 ispreferably made of the same material as the frame 12. In the firstembodiment, the support arm 22 is generally L-shaped having an extensionsection 90 and proximal and distal ends 92, 94. In the first embodiment,the proximal ends 92 of the plant supports 18 are preferably welded tothe frame 12. The distal ends 94 are in turn welded to the lowersurfaces 80 of the plant supports 18.

[0036] In the second embodiment, and as pictured in FIGS. 6 and 8, thesupport arms 22 are generally Z-shaped and are removably coupled withthe frame 12 via a bracket 96. In this embodiment, the support arm 22has a downwardly turned proximal portion 98 which is received in avertical opening 100 in the bracket 96. It has been found beneficial toprovide the bracket 96 with the opening 100 therein by using a shortpiece of tubing welded to one of the legs 24, 26 of the frame 12.Additionally, in order to prevent the support arms from swinging backand forth and pivoting in the opening 100, it has been found beneficialto provide the opening 100 and the mating proximal portion 98 withnon-round cross-sections, such as the square cross-sections illustrated.By providing a plurality of brackets 96 spaced vertically along the legs24, 26, a user may selectively adjust the orientation, arrangement andheight of the plant supports and the distances therebetween toaccommodate a wide variety of different sized and shaped plants 20.

[0037]FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a second embodiment of the plant support18. In this embodiment, instead of providing the plant support as a flatmetal plate, the plant support is provided by a plurality of supportmembers 102 extending radially outwardly from a central location 104.The support members 102 have distal ends 106 with horizontal openings108 therein. A horizontal portion 110 of an L-shaped bracket 112 is thenslidably received in the opening 108 of the support member 102. OpposingL-shaped brackets 112 may then be moved towards each other until theyabut and clamp sides 114 of the container 88. Once the brackets are inthe proper location up against the sides 114 of the container 88, theL-shaped brackets 112 are maintained in place by way of thumb screws 116provided in the support members 102 which cooperate with the horizontalportion 110 of the L-shaped bracket 112.

[0038]FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a second embodiment of the clamp 16. Inthis embodiment, the clamp includes two downwardly depending rods 42with each receiving its own carriage 44. In this embodiment, the rearportion 52 of the base plate 14 does not overhang the railing 38.Instead, and as best illustrated in FIG. 7, the rear edge 50 of the baseplate is spaced back from the side 68 of the railing 38. In order toprovide this arrangement, the rods 42 are J-shaped with the proximalends 46 connected to the upper surface 32 of the base plate adjacentopposite ends thereof. In this embodiment, the nut 74 has been replacedwith wing nuts 118 and a washer 120. Additionally, the horizontalportion 58 has been bent upwardly to provide for an acute angle betweenthe horizontal portion 58 and vertical portion 60. This slight upwardbend of horizontal portion 58 has been found to provide beneficialclamping pressure.

[0039]FIG. 9 illustrates a third embodiment of the plant stand 10 of thepresent invention. In this embodiment, the frame 12 again has first andsecond legs 24, 26 and a proximal end 28. However, in this embodiment,the frame 12 is generally V-shaped and the plant supports 18 are mounteddirectly on the frame 12.

[0040]FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 illustrate a third embodiment of the clamp 16.In this embodiment, the J-shaped rod 42 of the second embodiment hasbeen replaced by an angled support 120 and shaft 122. The angled support120 has a proximal end 124 which is secured to the upper surface 32 ofthe base plate 14 and a distal end 126 which extends rearwardly beyondthe rear edge 50 of the base plate 14. The distal end 126 is connectedto the shaft 122 such that the angled support 120 holds and maintainsthe shaft 122 in a generally vertical orientation.

[0041] The shaft 122 has a proximal end 128, which is connected to thedistal end 126 of the angled support 120, and a distal end 130. Thedistal end 130 contains a bore 132 therein which is internally threaded.

[0042] As with the other embodiments, the clamp also includes a carriage44 having a body 54 in a sleeve 56. The sleeve 56 has an inner diameterslightly greater than an outer diameter of the shaft 122 such that thesleeve is slidingly and telescopingly received on the shaft 122. A bolt134 with a wing nut head 136 couples the sleeve 56 with the shaft 122and is threadably received in the bore 132. This arrangement, whilestill providing the desired adjustability of the first and secondembodiment, does so in a safer manner as it does not have the distal end48 of the rod 42 protruding outwardly from the clamp 16.

[0043] Multiple combinations and mixing and matching of the variousembodiments are well within the scope of the present invention. Othermodifications which are within the scope of the present inventioninclude the positioning of a plant hanger bar 138 intermediate the legs24, 26 of the frame 12 and positioned adjacent a distal end 30. Theplant hanger bar 138 permits a user of the plant stand 10 to hang aplant 20 intermediate the first and second legs 24, 26. Anothermodification contemplated would be the inclusion of a third plantsupport 18 to the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9. The thirdplant support 18 would be placed in the V of the frame 12 with the outerperiphery of the plate 76 of the plant support 18 being supported by thelegs 24, 26 (not illustrated).

[0044] From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is onewell adapted to attain all ends and objects hereinabove set forthtogether with the other advantages which are obvious and which areinherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain featuresand subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without referenceto other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and iswithin the scope of the invention.

[0045] Since many possible embodiments may be made of the inventionwithout departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood thatall matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is tobe interpreted as illustrative of applications of the principles of thisinvention, and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A clamp comprising: a plate having upper andlower surfaces; a shaft coupled with the plate, wherein the shaftincludes an internally threaded bore; a bolt threadably received in thebore of the shaft; and a carriage coupled with the shaft via the boltand selectively movable toward and away from the base plate.
 2. Theclamp of claim 1, wherein the carriage has a body and a sleeve, whereinthe sleeve is slidably received on the shaft in telescoping fashion. 3.The clamp of claim 2, wherein the carriage is received on the bolt,wherein the sleeve is generally tubular in nature and has an openingtherein, wherein the bolt is received in the opening, wherein the shaftis received in the opening, and wherein an outer circumference of theshaft is slightly less than a circumference of the opening, wherebytightening the bolt draws the carriage toward the plate.
 4. The clamp ofclaim 1, wherein the shaft has a longitudinal axis and wherein the shaftis coupled with the plate such that the longitudinal axis of the shaftis generally perpendicular to the lower surface of the plate.
 5. Theclamp of claim 4, wherein the carriage has a first portion with an uppersurface which is generally parallel to the lower surface of the base andwherein movement of the carriage moves the upper surface of the firstportion toward and away from the lower surface of the base to clampitems therebetween.
 6. The clamp of claim 5, wherein the carriage has abody and a sleeve, wherein the first portion of the carriage is on thebody, and wherein the upper surface of the first portion is generallyperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the sleeve.
 7. The clamp ofclaim 4, wherein the shaft is coupled with and spaced apart from thebase via a support.
 8. The clamp of claim 7, wherein the support has aproximal end which is coupled to the upper surface of the support and adistal end which is coupled to a proximal end of the shaft.
 9. A clampfor selectively mounting an object to a railing of a deck, the clampcomprising: a base plate having upper and lower surfaces, wherein thelower surface abuts the railing when the clamp is coupled thereto; ashaft coupled with the base plate; a carriage slidably received on theshaft for selective movement toward and away from the base plate; andmeans for moving the carriage toward and away from the base plate. 10.The clamp of claim of 9, wherein the shaft has a longitudinal axis andwherein the longitudinal axis of the shaft is generally perpendicular tothe lower surface of the base plate.
 11. The clamp of claim 9, whereinthe shaft has an internally threaded bore therein, wherein the means formoving the carriage toward and away from the base plate includes a bolttheadably received in the bore in the shaft, wherein the carriage isreceived on the bolt and wherein tightening the bolt moves the carriagetoward the base plate.
 12. The clamp of claim 11, wherein carriage has abody and a sleeve, wherein the body has a first portion with an uppersurface that is generally parallel to the lower surface of the baseplate, and wherein the upper surface of the first portion abuts therailing when the clamp is coupled thereto, whereby the railing ispositioned between the lower surface of the base plate and the uppersurface of the first portion of the carriage.
 13. The clamp of claim 12,wherein the sleeve includes an opening and wherein the shaft is slidablyreceived in the opening.
 14. The clamp of claim 13, wherein the sleeveis generally tubular in nature, wherein the opening in sleeve has ashape that corresponds to a shape defined by an outer surface of theshaft.
 15. The clamp of claim 14, wherein the outer surface of the shaftdefines a cylinder.
 16. The clamp of claim 12, wherein the body has asecond portion that is generally perpendicular to the first portion,whereby the first and second portions cooperate to define a generallyL-shaped member for receiving a portion of the railing when the clamp iscoupled thereto.
 17. The clamp of claim 9, wherein the shaft is coupledwith and spaced apart from the base plate via a support, wherein thesupport has a proximal end which is coupled to the upper surface of thesupport and a distal end which is coupled to a proximal end of theshaft, and wherein the support extends upwardly from the upper surfaceof the base plate at a non-perpendicular angle such that the distal endof the support is not directly above the upper surface of the baseplate, whereby the shaft is next to the base plate.